23: 23. Go Home

Readers, I know many of you are commenting on Lu Feng's parents calling him by that name. Initially, I intended to write "Xiao Feng," but I accidentally typed "Xiao Lu" instead and didn't think much of it at the time. Now I want to change it, but there are too many instances to correct (so frustrated!). Please bear with me; I'll try my best to fix it later!! Thank you!

...

When Lu Feng left the rental building with his luggage, he was in a very good mood.

Behind him, the Landlord, an old man, forced himself to wave goodbye to Lu Feng. His eyes were red, old tears streamed down his face, and his expression was incredibly complex. Anyone who didn't know might think he was reluctant to see Lu Feng go.

But Lu Feng knew that the guy was simply scared out of his wits and heartbroken over money.

In the end, the Landlord not only didn't dare to withhold a single cent from him but also tremblingly took out all his private savings and stuffed them into Lu Feng's hand, hoping he wouldn't tell anyone.

“I beg you, please give me a way out. I swear I won’t dare to do it again. I really don’t want to ruin my reputation in my old age!!”

Lu Feng hadn't originally intended to let him off so easily, but seeing that the other party had even wet his pants from fear, he believed this old man wouldn't dare to mess around again, so he didn't press the issue further.

He patted his backpack, which was bulging with twenty thousand yuan, and Lu Feng walked towards the high-speed rail station with satisfaction.

Lu Feng's hometown was Xinghai City, an eighteenth-tier small city over four hundred kilometers from Jiangcheng. It was inconspicuous in the entire Xia Kingdom. Although it had a long history, it hadn't developed, and its economy was stagnant. Because of this, no young people were willing to stay there; they all wanted to move to big cities like Jiangcheng.

Xinghai City's high-speed rail station wasn't large. After Lu Feng got off the train and pulled his luggage to the exit, many illegal taxi drivers immediately crowded around. Lu Feng ignored them; at that moment, his eyes were completely drawn to two people in the crowd.

His parents were waving at him.

Lu Feng's eyes welled up, and he smiled, saying, “Mom and Dad, I’m home.”

Lu Zezhou had a beaming smile on his face, but he looked much thinner. Yet, he stood there with his back very straight, as if he didn't want his son to see his illness.

His mother, Lu Xiaoli, stood beside him, dressed very simply. Seeing Lu Feng look over, she quickly lowered her head to wipe away the tears at the corners of her eyes, then hurried forward to help with the luggage.

“Xiao Feng... you’ve gotten thinner... and so much darker. It must have been very hard outside, wasn’t it?”

Lu Feng was speechless. He flexed his arm to show off his muscles, proudly saying, “Mom, I’m very strong.”

“It’s good that you’re back,” Lu Xiaoli choked out.

Lu Feng carried his own luggage, following behind his parents as they walked out of the high-speed rail station.

“Dad, didn’t the doctor say you should move around less? Why did you still come?”

Lu Zezhou said nonchalantly, “Just picking my son up to come home, what are these few steps?”

The two had come on a three-wheeled vehicle, which was parked in the parking lot.

Lu Feng loaded his luggage onto the vehicle and then sat in the back, while Lu Zezhou and Lu Xiaoli drove in the front.

Just as they were about to drive out of the parking lot, Lu Feng suddenly noticed a few familiar faces on one side of the parking lot. Looking closely, it was his second uncle's family.

The family of three was carrying large and small bags, walking out of the high-speed rail station. His cousin, Lu Manwen, was laughing and opening the car's trunk to put their purchases in, seemingly having returned from a trip.

Just as Lu Manwen was about to close the trunk, she also caught sight of them. She paused for a moment, then immediately pretended not to see them, lowered her head, turned, and got into the car, as if avoiding a plague.

Before, because his father was sick, Lu Feng wanted to borrow some money from his second uncle's family, but he couldn't even get the door open. The other party said directly through the door that he had a cold and was afraid opening the door would spread it.

Those hypocritical words left Lu Feng stunned for a long time.

“Forget it, let’s go,” his mother beside him said, gently tugging Lu Feng's sleeve, persuading him.

Lu Zezhou also had nothing to say, only sighing silently.

He couldn't force others to help him, but he always felt that kinship shouldn't be like this...

“Look, this new road is very easy to drive on, it was only built a few months ago. It’ll be very convenient to go anywhere now.”

“That pancake shop you always loved when you came back before has closed down. What a pity, such good craftsmanship.”

The three-wheeled vehicle was fast, leaving the high-speed rail station and heading towards the city. Along the way, Lu Zezhou seemed to sense Lu Feng was in a bad mood and kept talking, introducing him to the new changes in Xinghai City to distract him.

Before long, the three arrived in the old town. It was already evening, and many people were sitting under the trees downstairs, chatting. Seeing Lu Feng return, they greeted him warmly.

The house hadn't changed much; the furniture and decor were the same, but there was an added scent of medicine in the air.

Lu Feng put his luggage in his room. The bedding on the bed smelled of sunshine. Although he hadn't been back for a long time, it was spotless.

Lu Xiaoli smiled and walked into the kitchen. Soon, she brought out several bowls of reheated dishes: “Hungry, aren’t you? Hurry and eat. Your dad even cooked himself today.”

Lu Feng smelled the familiar aroma, and even though he was used to meals made by top chefs, he couldn't help but feel his appetite grow now.

“I’ve been hungry for a long time, just waiting for this.”

He picked up his bowl, grabbing dishes and shoveling rice, eating with a greasy mouth.

“Don’t rush, there’s more,” Lu Xiaoli said with a smile.

Lu Zezhou was in a very good mood, so he also had an appetite, eating a few extra bowls of millet porridge. After three rounds of food, he rubbed his stomach, hesitated for a moment, and finally spoke: “Son, about that million yuan before... is it really okay?”

Lu Feng, of course, knew what they were worried about.

He was only a high school student now, and suddenly producing a million yuan would make anyone overthink.

“Mom and Dad, you don’t have to worry. Oh, and there’s one more thing.”

Saying this, he took out a certificate of honor for courageous deeds, a shiny golden badge, and a red envelope containing fifty thousand yuan from his backpack.

“Your son, by chance, performed a courageous deed a while ago and even received an official commendation.”

“Ah? What happened?” Lu Xiaoli's first reaction was to ask worriedly.

Lu Feng then recounted the events, of course, in a humorous style: “I don’t know what happened either, I just muddled through and it worked out.”

Lu Zezhou and Lu Xiaoli finally breathed a sigh of relief after hearing this, and couldn't help but laugh: “Oh, you, you’re still so muddle-headed. But next time you encounter something like this, you absolutely must not get involved, understand?”

No parents want their child to risk their life for others, performing courageous deeds.

“Understood,” Lu Feng nodded.

Lu Zezhou picked up the thick red certificate of honor, his eyes full of pride: “My son has become accomplished.”

After dinner, Lu Zezhou found a picture frame, framed the certificate of honor and the badge, then cleared a spot on the bookshelf to display them, admiring them repeatedly.

Lu Feng walked over, about to tease him, when he suddenly noticed a document among the cleared items. It looked like... critical illness insurance.